Jennifer Lawrence has a Bigger Paycheck than Chris Pratt for ‘Passengers’

By Cheri Cheng - 17 Jun '15 12:38PM
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Two of the hottest stars in Hollywood will be working together on a Sci-fi flick.

According to several reports, Jennifer Lawrence, 24, and Chris Pratt, 35, will be starring in a big-budget romantic sci-fi- drama, "Passengers," which will be set in outerspace. The movie will be directed by Morten Tyldum, who was nominated for an Oscar for his work on "The Imitation Game."

The Oscar winning actress will reportedly be making $20 million, which is more than her co-star, Pratt, whose paycheck is $12 million. Pratt's original contract was set at $10 million but the success of his latest film, "Jurassic World" increased his salary, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sony Pictures' new motion picture chairman Tom Rothman was reportedly on the fence when it came to giving the project the greenlight due to the financial risks involved.

THR wrote:

"Whatever the famously fiscally prudent Rothman's misgivings might have been about paying such big bucks to talent or risking $150 million ($120 million with production incentives) on an original script that has floated around Hollywood for years, he now finds himself in possession of a two-hander star vehicle with the most in-demand male and female actors in the business...

Sources say Rothman wrestled with whether to greenlight it, put it in turnaround or place it with Jeff Robinov's nascent Studio 8, which is partly owned by Sony and will distribute its films through the studio but has outside financial backing."

Rothman reportedly tried to trim the budget down to $90 million but was unsuccessful. Sources claim that he has found financing partners in Village Roadshow and LStar.

THR added, "One source says Rothman found himself in a potential 'lose-lose scenario' because he was caught between placing a big wager on untested material - and setting a pay precedent that might haunt him in his new role - and passing on a project with two of the biggest stars in Hollywood."

The very expensive project has bounced around before it ended up at Sony Pictures. At one point, "Passengers" was a small Weinstein Co. project with actors Keanu Reeves and Reese Witherspoon attached to it. At another point, actress Rachel McAdams was linked to the project. Warner Bros. also negotiated a deal for the project with a budget capped at $65 million. 

"Passengers" is set to start production in September.

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